Parents: Ride with teens to curb distracted driving

Teenage girls are more likely to drive while distracted than teenage boys, according to a study released Tuesday by the AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety.

In-car video footage found that teenage girls are twice as likely as teenage boys to use their cell phones and other devices while driving. Girls are also 50 percent more likely to reach for an object in the car and 25 percent more likely to eat or drink while driving than their male counterparts.

However, teenage boys are twice as more likely to turn around in their seats while driving, and also more likely to communicate with people outside the car than teenage girls.

What do teenage girls and boys have in common? Put Mom or Dad in the car, and the distracting activities “significantly” decrease. Their best friend riding shotgun? “Loud conversations and horseplay were more than twice as likely to occur” with multiple teens in a car, according to the study.

So parents, practice with your teens and keep their pals out, the study advises. The study also advises limiting night driving and to continue setting and enforcing rules.